Lady Gowrie Family & Child Centre

This project involves the conversion of existing warehouses & garage into a Family & Child Centre for Lady Gowrie Tasmania. A new three storey building acts as an entry / reception to the centre for clients and visitors.

In keeping with Lady Gowrie’s ethos of using natural materials the building is proposed to be clad in timber and is designed to reference a series of stacked timber blocks. By placing the blocks in a ‘Jenga’ like arrangement it is hoped that the building will have an element of playfulness that appeals to the centre’s primary user – the children – whilst being refined enough to sit comfortably in the residential South Hobart setting.

The ‘blocks’ act to break up the mass of the building, stepping the form so that the size is diminished from the street as well as providing a scale that relates to the users. Carefully placed openings and screening allow natural light into the building and views for the occupants without impeding the privacy of the neighbouring properties.

Internally, the spaces are designed to enhance the integrated childcare / training aspects of the centre with a large degree of transparency between play spaces, training rooms, and resource areas so that passive observation can occur and a learning environment is created for both children and adults alike.

Sitting between the training & child oriented spaces, it is proposed to convert the central warehouse into an atrium which provides a sheltered outdoor play space and acts as a central social space for the centre.